Kyo's Birthday
by Drifter2
Summary: KyoTohru, but Yuki is not at the end of the line. It's Kyo's B-day (obviously) and to make things more interesting, there's a school dance and also a new character. Dance is here!
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine, so no one can sue me! ^-^   
  
Kyo's Birthday  
  
~*Ichi*~  
  
Tohru is narrating the story currently... (sorry, I dunno how else to say it)  
  
"Well, New Year's passed for the second time, and Kyo's birthday is coming up. Everyone's planning in secret; even Yuki's been really nice to him lately. I think it's because on New Year's, Kagura kissed Kyo. He was really mad, but he was still so nice to everyone. I think Yuki was proud of him. Well, maybe proud isn't not exactly the word to use. But the good news is, Kyo's going to have a surprise party. He doesn't even think we know his birthday's coming up!"  
  
"Yuki! Yuki! Where are you?" Tohru's voice rang throughout the house.  
  
"I'm here, you know," said Kyo, chowing down on his cheerios. (I know, he doesn't eat cheerios, bear with me here)  
  
Tohru turned around and smiled at him. "But this is something I need to talk to Yuki about, Kyo," she said. Kyo glanced at her, then glared at somebody behind her.  
  
"Miss Honda, you called?" asked Yuki in his soft, gentle voice.  
  
"Right! Kagura will be here soon, and we-"  
  
"Kagura?! What the heck is she coming here for?!"  
  
"Oh, I thought you knew...She's taking you to that five hour doctor check-up," said Yuki with a grin.  
  
"Five Hours?!" yelled Kyo, "What the heck are you doing, sending me off with Kagura non-stop? How come Yuki can't go? I swear, I never get to see Tohru anymore!"  
  
Tohru bit her lip as tears began to bubble in her eyes.  
  
"You stupid, idiotic cat!" said Yuki, brushing away her tears as Kyo began panicking.  
  
"Tohru...Don't cry. I was stupid to say that-" Kyo said.  
  
"At last. He admits it," said Yuki.  
  
"Shut up! Tohru, I see you all the time. Really," Kyo continued.  
  
Tohru looked up at Kyo and smiled. "Don't worry, Kyo. We'll go out for ice cream Monday night, okay? After I finish work!" she triumphantly stated.  
  
"Kyo!" rang Kagura's voice, and within seconds Kyo's hand was clasped in hers. "Time for you check-up, Kyo my love!" She dragged him out of the room, and Yuki and Tohru could hear him scream, "Don't let her take me!!"  
  
Shigure, Hatori, Haru, Kisa, Momiji, Uo and Hana came in then.  
  
"That," said Uo, "was a close call. If Hana hadn't sensed Kyo's electric signals, we'd have walked in on you."  
  
~*~  
  
"Sissie?" asked Kisa.  
  
"Yes?" answered Tohru.  
  
"I got Kyo's present from me," she said, revealing a drawing she had made of all the animals of the zodiac playing, including the cat.  
  
"Oh, Kisa, it's a work of art! I'll buy a frame at the store. Kyo will love this!" said Tohru, taking the drawing and putting it on the table.   
  
"Haru? You got anything yet?" asked Tohru.  
  
"Er.Not yet. Do I have to?"   
  
"Yes!" said Kisa. "Sissie wants you to get a present for Kyo, so you have to!"  
  
"Okay, okay," said Haru. (A/N: I don't wanna write Hatsuharu every time)  
  
"Okay then, that leaves.Shigure and Yuki. Shigure?"   
  
"Oh yeah.Here you go, Tohru," said Shigure, handing her a picture of a black dog chewing on an orange cat's tail.   
  
"Yuki took that one," said Shigure, smiling.  
  
"I really think Miss Honda would prefer it if you got him something that would make him feel good about himself," said Yuki, glaring at Shigure.  
  
"Can't anyone take a joke? I was only kidding! Here Tohru." He handed her a crystal-looking cat, painted orange.  
  
"It's beautiful Shigure," said Tohru.  
  
"What the heck is with all the Zodiac animals? Especially the cat!" asked Uo.  
  
"The cat is not a Zodiac animal. It is an outlaw," replied Yuki.  
  
"Yuki, would you stop being so jumpy?" asked Hatori.  
  
"What's with the animals?" asked Uo once more.  
  
"Er." began Tohru, but Kagura came dashing in.  
  
"I've got it, Tohru!" she yelled, handing Tohru a red envelope, sealed with a heart sticker.  
  
"Great, Kagura!" Tohru put the rest of the stuff away, along with the envelope. Kagura then ran away, remembering that she was supposed to be with Kyo during his check-up. Cries of "I'm coming, darling!" could be heard even after she left the house.  
  
"Oh, um.Yuki. What are you getting Kyo?" Tohru asked, but then remembered that he probably didn't want to get Kyo anything.  
  
"A secret," said Yuki, looking slightly embarrassed. (This is not a Kyo/Yuki fic, okay??)  
  
So he really is getting something for Kyo, she thought.  
  
~*~  
  
Tohru quickly removed her notebook from her bag and began to do all of her homework for that night. (she's at school, had time to finish it in class) Glancing over at Yuki, she noticed he was looking at her, as small smile on his face. Tohru gave him the best smile she had and waved a little. He looked surprised, then smiled in return.  
  
How lucky am I, that such an incredible girl has entered my life? He wondered. He suddenly remembered how happy he had been when he heard her calling his name, then Kyo saying, "I'm here, you know." But, to his joy, Tohru had said, "But this is something I need to talk to Yuki about, Kyo."  
  
"Yuki? Are you deaf? Student council meeting.Let's go!"  
  
"Wake up from your daydream, you *fluffy* rat!" yelled Kyo.  
  
"Do I have to go now?" asked Yuki.  
  
"Yes. It'll be quick."  
  
Yuki sighed and grabbed his bag. He mouthed `see you after work' to Tohru, then followed the senior girl out of the classroom. Tohru nodded then continued the last homework assignment. She was almost done.   
  
"Oh, oops! I almost forgot!" said the teacher. Everyone looked up, even Kyo. Tohru, who had just finished with all her work, stared at the teacher.  
  
"Okay, don't get too excited, but the dance is on Saturday at eight, not Friday. Student council members must attend with a date. By the way, Kyo, stay after five minutes for saying a bad word."  
  
Kyo, who had been trying to catch Tohru's eye, glared at the teacher, but said nothing. The bell rang, and Tohru left in the midst of many students.  
  
~*~  
  
Tohru came out of the building where she worked, feeling exhausted. She stood up straight and smiled as she saw Kyo walking towards her.  
  
"Thanks for coming to pick me up," she said. "There's an ice cream shop around the corner."  
  
"No problem," Kyo said, and the two began walking.   
  
Suddenly, it started to rain (A/N: hehehe). Tohru shivered slightly, hoping Kyo wouldn't notice. But he did. He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.  
  
"Kyo, no; I'm fine. Er.thanks," she said, seeing his `don't' give me that crap' look.  
  
"Remember what I told you," he said, staring off into nothingness. "Let people know when there's something wrong." He turned to look at her. "You can let me know, as well. Tohru-"  
  
They stopped walking as Kyo stared into Tohru's eyes.   
  
"What?" she asked, air-headed as ever.  
  
"Er.Nothing," he said, and continued walking.  
  
~*~  
  
"Mmm! I love ice cream!" said Tohru, sitting across from Kyo in the ice cream shop.  
  
"So.How have you been doing in school?" Kyo asked, trying to make conversation.  
  
"Fine, I guess," she said.  
  
"So, um.Who are you going to.er.the dance with?" Kyo asked, face down, thinking: Not Yuki, please, not Yuki, not Yuki.  
  
"Nobody," she said, looking a bit sad. "I mean, who wants to go with an airhead like me?"  
  
"I do," said Kyo, staring into his ice cream and turning red. "I mean.Not to say you're an airhead or anything.but.aw heck.will you come with me?" he added quickly.  
  
Tohru looked as though she would burst with happiness. "Of course I will!" she practically sang. "Kyo, thank you so much! Oh, I'm so happy!"  
  
"Er.Tohru.I think I should be thanking you. It's Friday, right?"   
  
"Yep! Friday at eight!" Suddenly she realized.That was Kyo's birthday-the day of the party.  
  
"I'll go pay," said Kyo, standing up.  
  
"No! Kyo, I'll-"  
  
"I said I'd pay, so sit down," said Kyo in his finishing tone.  
  
~*~  
  
So how is it? Does anyone like it? This is my first fan fiction ever, so please don't be too hard! Questions and comments are welcome!! Thanks!! 


	2. Chapter Two

Hey, everyone!! Sorry for the extremely late update!!  
  
Just to tell you all, I am not Drifter... I am her friend Aerin. The reason I am here, is to type up Drifter's story for her, and to post it over the summer break. Drifter, unfortunately, can't access the internet over the break, so it's entirely my fault for not posting up another chapter!!! I'm sorry!!! Gomen nasai!!!!!!   
  
Anyway, she wanted me to thank all the reviewers to her story for the last chapter... so here they are!! Thanks a bunch!!  
  
Zeheria  
  
chibichibi-neko  
  
shigure fan 2 death (btw: she wanted to tell you that you're crazy ^.^)  
  
To-orima Nokurai  
  
Lys  
  
BaKaBaBi  
  
kana  
  
veronica  
  
Kame Hime  
  
kcarrie  
  
Runic  
  
Zahnegirl  
  
KonekoChan  
  
^.^ Thanks a bunch!!! ^-^ She loves to get reviews, and she was surprised that she got 14 of them!! ^.^   
  
Anyway... what'm I forgetting? I think... oh yeah!  
  
Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue!!  
  
~*~  
  
As Tohru and Kyo walked forward towards home, Tohru couldn't help but start thanking him again. "Oh Kyo, I'm so touched! Thank you so much for asking me to the dance! I was sure nobody ever would-"  
  
Kyo put a finger to her lips. "You're a great person. I should be the one who's touched. I'm the lucky one, not you."  
  
Tohru stared at him, as air-headed as ever.  
  
"Thanks Kyo. That makes me feel so good," she said softly, placing a hand gently on his arm. He looked nervous, and seemed to be debating whether or not to do something. Then he took her hand, a small smile on his face. This hadn't been done for over a year. They started walking back to Shigure's house in silence.  
  
"Oh, *fluff*!" Kyo said suddenly, stopping.  
  
"What is it Kyo? Are you okay?!" asked Tohru urgently.  
  
"Er...yeah I'm fine. I just...er...can't dance," he said, embarassed.  
  
"Oh," Tohru said, "I'll show you! It's easy. Put your hands around my waist, and I put mine on your shoulders. Then we walk in a circle. See? It's easy!"   
  
Kyo's entire face was red.  
  
"Now you'll have to lead, but I'll kind of...push you into it for now," said Tohru.  
  
Kyo took a step forward, right onto Tohru's foot.  
  
"It's okay," she said, seeing his worried look. "Just try again."  
  
So, (A/N: mushy, mushy) Kyo learned to dance.   
  
~*~  
  
As Tohru entered the room, she bumped into Yuki, who was walking out. She immediately crumpled to the floor, banging her head on the door, saying 'sorry' repeatedly.  
  
"Where have you been?" Yuki asked Kyo angrily, as he hopped on Kyo's shoe while walking past. (A/N: he's a rat right now)  
  
"Icecream," Kyo said, looking in disgust at the creature now running towards the kitchen.  
  
"Kyo," Tohru said, "I'm going to bed. Good night! Good night, Yuki!"  
  
"Good night, Miss Honda," came a voice from the kitchen. "Have a nice rest."  
  
"You too," she answered.  
  
"'Night," Kyo muttered.  
  
*POOF*  
  
Yuki came back in, after Kyo tossed him his clothes. He noticed that Kyo was smiling slightly.  
  
"You seem to be in a relatively good mood," he said flatly. "What's up?"  
  
"Er...I just found out that Kagura's going to the beach this weekend." It was true, he had heard Kagura telling Tohru about it.  
  
"Oh," said Yuki, the slightest trace of a grin on his face, "What took you two so long?"  
  
"Err..." Kyo began, "I wanted another chocolate fudge sundae..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Yuki? Would you and the other student council members come up here for a minute?" asked the teacher.  
  
Yuki stood up, along with a few others. As the teacher told them about the dance requirements, "You all must have a date," his eyes drifted towards Tohru, who was chatting happily with Uo.  
  
Everyone went back to their seats after the teacher finished talking.  
  
"Oh, and class?" said the teacher. "The dance is Friday, not Saturday. My mistake."  
  
The bell rang. Kyo had cursed at Yuki again, so he stayed behind. He didn't really care, since Tohru already said she'd go with him. But he still wanted to see the Yuki get rejected, so he was overjoyed when he saw them appear outside the window.  
  
"Mr. Ryufuji, can I open the window? It's really hot," he asked innocently.  
  
"Sure, Kyo."  
  
He opened it and strained to hear. He could just barely make out the voices.  
  
"Miss Honda, will you accompany me to the dance?" asked Yuki, knowing she wouldn't say no.  
  
Tohru looked at him sorrowfully. "I'm sorry Yuki...I'm already going with Kyo."  
  
At this, Yuki looked shocked. Kyo? Kyo? Of all people, Tohru was going with...Kyo?  
  
"Oh," said Yuki. "Miss Honda...I've forgotten that I need to do something. I'll see you later...bye..."  
  
With that, Yuki was gone. Tohru looked after him, then walked home.  
  
"Take that, you *fluffy* rat!" said Kyo, smiling as he leaned back in his chair.  
  
"Mr. Sohma, another five minutes."  
  
~*~  
  
Kyo walked into the room ten minutes after Tohru. She looked a but miserable, sitting on the couch.   
  
"Hi, Tohru," said Kyo.  
  
"Oh," she said, looking up with a smile. "Hi Kyo."  
  
"The teacher wanted me to tell you and rat boy that it's going to be a formal dance. You know, where you dress up all fancy and stuff."  
  
"Oh, okay," said Tohru.  
  
Kyo looked at her.  
  
"You know, if you want to go with Yuki-"  
  
"Kyo!" Tohru cried. "I want to go with you! It's just...Yuki's not home yet...and I think it's because of me..."  
  
Kyo walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Yuki's just out somewhere; that's all. He'll be fine. I can go look for him if you want."  
  
Tohru looked up at him. "No, Kyo. Stay here."  
  
Kyo smiled. Yeah, Kyo smiled. Don't worry; you read right. Then he went upstairs. Tohru sighed, then stood up and walked towards the door. But Momiji popped up in front of her, looking cheerful. She jumped.  
  
"Tohru! Tohru! Guess what?!" he asked excitedly.  
  
"What is it, Momiji?" she asked.  
  
"I have an exchange student!" he said, pulling a girl in front of him. She was exactly the same height as Tohru. her long blonde hair was wavy, and about mid-back length. She too had large eyes, except hers were brown. She was in baby blue shorts and a white t-shirt.  
  
"Er...that's great, Momiji-"  
  
"But she's your exchange student now! Hari said I couldn't keep her at the main Sohma house, because of Akito. So just keep her; she's only here for a year. Bye! Gotta get you-know-what for you-know-who!" With that, he ran off.  
  
Tohru stared after him. Then she turned back to the blonde girl.  
  
"I'm sorry," said Tohru, "but did Momiji say your name?"  
  
"Oh," said the girl, "I'm Aerin, from Florida of the United States. And you're Tohru? Momiji told me about you. Umm...who's that?" (Aerin's note: ...Drifter wrote this on her own...she needed another character, and since I'm pretty much an airhead like Tohru *no offence intended* she put me in it! ^.^ We'll see how the story goes...)  
  
Aerin was nervously staring at Kyo, who had appeared behind Tohru. He was staring at her, also.  
  
"That's Kyo. He's the...er..." she paused, wondering if Aerin knew about the curse. "He's the...livelihood of the house. Yep! Kyo really keeps things spiced up. Heh. Kyo, this is Aerin, from Florida in the US."  
  
Kyo had been watching Tohru, smiling to himself. (Aerin's note: Someone took happy pills, huh? ^^) Suddenly, Shigure popped up next to Kyo, drooling and looking crazy.  
  
"We have another high school girl! High school girl! Now there's two high school girls!" he said in a sing-song voice.  
  
"Oh!" said Tohru. "Aerin, this is Shigure. Shigure, this is Aerin. She's from Florida, US. She was Momiji's exchange student, but she's ours now. Hatori thought it would be better if she stayed here than at the main Sohma house, because of Akito."  
  
"Ah," said Shigure. "She'll be staying in my room, I presume!"  
  
Kyo sent him flying through a wall and out of the house. "He's a pervert. Don't mind him." With that, he walked away.  
  
"Aerin? Could you take your stuff upstairs to the first room on the right? That's my room. I need to call someone..." Tohru said.  
  
Aerin lifter her bags and went to Tohru's room. Tohru ran to grab the phone and dialed Hatori's number.  
  
"Just feel free to look around for a minute, okay?" she said while it rang. "Oh hi Hatori, it's Tohru. Ummm...does Aerin know about-"  
  
"The curse?" came Hatori's voice. "A bit; Momiji jumped on her as soon as she was off the plane and found us. But all she really knows is that Momiji can turn into a rabbit, and that a few other Sohmas can transform. I would appreciate it if you would explain it to her. Akito said it was alright."  
  
"Okay! Gotcha covered! Bye!" Tohru said, hanging up the phone.  
  
"Aerin!" Tohru called.  
  
"Right here," said Aerin, coming down the stairs.  
  
"Let me show you the city!"  
  
~*~  
  
That's it! Do you like it? Questions? Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? As I said before, Drifter is unable to access the internet over the summer, so if you have questions I'll try my best to answer them...She gave me TONS of her story the day school let out...she's written a LOT, trust me ^-^   
  
Anyway, please review! ^.^ 


	3. Chapter Three

Hi, Mina-san!! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews!!! ^__^ I'm glad everyone's enjoying the story so far!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I no own Fruits Basket, so you no sue!  
  
Anyway, onward to the next chapter!! I'm gonna try and make this one longer!!! ^.^  
  
*~* San *~*  
  
"Aerin?" Tohru called.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you know the story about the Chinese Zodiac?"  
  
"Yes!" replied Aerin. "I know it by heart! I love it! But. It's really sad."  
  
"Yeah. The poor cat."  
  
"That's not the only reason it's sad. I feel terrible for the cat, but it's my second favorite. The rat's my favorite. Do you want to know why? Wait! Oh, what a cute pet shop! Let's go in!"  
  
"Continue, I really like how you're explaining this.it's in a way I understand," said Tohru, following Aerin inside.  
  
"The rat," said Aerin, scooping up a baby gray rat from a box of other rats, "is the one who suffers the most. If someone looked at the story, obviously they would feel sorry for the cat, and think that the rat was mean. But that was one rat. Every once in a while we have a plain old bad cat, right?"  
  
Tohru nodded. She scooped up an orange kitten ^^  
  
"You know, I think I'm gonna buy this," Aerin indicated towards the rat. "It's cute. And I'll buy you that little cat. But, back to my point. Oh, and imagine the thirteen animals are people. It will be easier to explain that way.  
  
Tohru froze. 'Cutting a little close to reality there, isn't she?' she thought, as Aerin pulled out enough money to pay for the animals, cage, food, toys, etc. She had picked up around the store for the cat and the rat. Soon she was back, holding two large bags. The cat and rat seemed to be getting along quite well; the rat was on the cat's head, and they both looked happy. Aerin handed the cat to Tohru, the rat still on it's head.  
  
"Anyway," she went on as they walked out of the shop, "in America, rats are thought of as sneaky, nasty, gross things to many people. If someone who hated rats heard the story, no doubt he or she would hate them even more. So let's say this happened with people. I imagine all of the rat guy's descendants would be quiet, hating the cat's descendants. People would think the rat guy was shy, but really, he's just overcome with guilt. He thinks he's responsible for the cat. Hang on."  
  
Aerin leaned over to take a drink out of the drinking fountain. Tohru, horrified, thought, 'So, he's consumed with pain? Guilt?! Yuki, Yuki. I'm sorry! I never knew!!' She remembered the conversation Yuki had with Kyo on Kyo's first day of school: "When you act like this, I'm going to be the one who hears about it."  
  
"So," Aerin said, "the cat guy would totally hate the rat guy, and be full of spicy temper. The rat guy would feel even guiltier at this, knowing that, when the cat has done nothing wrong, he made himself a crazy wreck. Whenever bad things- horrible things would happen to the cat, the rat guy would wish it was him, thinking, 'He doesn't deserve this. Why isn't it me?'"  
  
Tohru tried not to cry as she remembered Kyo's horrible other form. 'Poor Yuki. I'm so sorry!' she thought.  
  
"Eventually the rat would be punished, in a way much more horrible than the cat's.but only by himself."  
  
"I.I never thought of it that way before." began Tohru, almost tearful. "Okay, here goes. The Sohma's.you know how Momiji turned into a rabbit? That's his designated Zodiac animal. Every once in a while, a child is born who has the Zodiac curse. There are only thirteen at a time, besides the head of the family, Akito, who leads them. Kyo is the cat. Shigure is the dog. I also live with another boy, but you'll meet him later. When they are hugged by a member of the opposite gender, they poof and transform into the different animals of the Zodiac. They change back after a short while, except. they're naked. And yes, the cat and the rat hate each other."  
  
Aerin stared at Tohru. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Yep," Tohru said, handing Aerin her rat. "What will you name it-er. him?"  
  
"Dano*. It means 'hurt' in Spanish." ((* the 'n' in 'Dano' has a ~ over the top of it, so it's pronounced Dan-yo))  
  
"Dano. Well Dano, meet Carino*, or just Caro. It means 'love' in Spanish," answered Tohru. ((* the 'n' in 'Carino' has a ~ over the top of it, so it's pronounced Ka-ri-nyo))  
  
They arrived home then. Kyo was on the roof, as usual. He jumped off when he saw them coming.  
  
"What's that?" he asked, pointing to Tohru's kitten. She showed him.  
  
"His name's Carino. It means-" she began.  
  
"Love in Spanish," Kyo replied, feeling unusually good.  
  
"And this is Dano," said Aerin. "The two really like each other, surprisingly. Dano means 'hurt.'"  
  
"Kyo, don't you think Carino is such a beautiful name?" asked Tohru.  
  
"Er.yeah, sure," Kyo said.  
  
Soon, Dano was in his cage and Carino was sleeping on Tohru's bed. Aerin was lying on the spare bed Shigure had pulled into Tohru's room.  
  
"Oh!" Aerin sat up suddenly, a troubled expression on her face. "So, there really is a rat! Tohru, where is he? Can I meet him? Is my theory right?"  
  
"Er. I don't know where Yuki is right now," Tohru said sadly. "He should be home soon, I hope. And I guess your theory's right.I don't know. Yuki is really quiet. And he does hate Kyo."  
  
Aerin looked at the ground. "I'll go put the wash on the line, okay?" She then ran downstairs.  
  
'Yuki, is it really true? It has to be.' thought Tohru.  
  
*~*  
  
Yuki suddenly came out of a trance. He looked around. There were a lot of people, yet he was indoors. He looked up, and saw a TV screen that had a list of cities and times, and at the top, it said 'Departures.' Yuki raised his eyebrows. 'I'm at an airport?' He felt in his pocket; all his money was gone. He suddenly had an image of himself on a bus.  
  
He walked down a wide hall, leaving the TV screens behind. He was confused. 'Why am I not raging? Kyo is going to the dance with Tohru, and I don't even feel jealous. Why not? I know, I', positive that I love her. This is what love feels like. When you'd rather die than have the one you love cry, be hurt, be sad. and I would. I know I love her, but then, why am I not angry?  
  
Yuki paused to watch a family of four. A little boy and his father were preparing to get on a plane, leaving the little girl and her mother behind.  
  
"I love you," said the father to the mother, who said it back. "Bye Pumpkin, love you," said the father to the little girl.  
  
Yuki stared. 'Maybe that's it. There's two kinds of love. I love her in the. fatherly way.?' His eyebrows lifted again, but only for a moment.  
  
"I love you, sissy," said the little boy to the little girl.  
  
"I love you too, Brian," said the little girl.  
  
Yuki smiled. 'No. There are many kinds of love, and I love her as my best friend, almost in a way that a brother loves a sister. And as a brother would protect a sister, so I will protect Tohru.'  
  
He walked outside. Then, he sped off at top speed, heading for home.  
  
Yuki skidded to a halt, and decided to walk the last minute. But before he reached the house, he noticed a girl putting clothes on the line. He stopped and watched her. 'Who is she?' he thought to himself. When she turned enough so that he could see her face, he stared harder, and went into a trance. (A/N: I know, I know. I hate mushy stuff. Well it makes me feel like a pervert when I write it. Oh, and Aerin is supposed to be really beautiful and all that.)  
  
"There is an angel in my yard," Yuki said after a while. (Aerin's note: Hahahahaha!!!)  
  
Aerin whipped around. "Trust me, I'm no angel," she said nervously. "Are you looking for someone?"  
  
Yuki looked shocked. "I.I'm Yuki Sohma, and I live here. Are you a friend of Tohru's?"  
  
"Y-Y-Y-Yuki?" Aerin stammered, shocked. "The-the rat? Okay, this is way too much pressure. If my theory.Oh! Sorry! How rude of me! I'm Aerin Ansher," she said quickly, "and I was Momiji's exchange student from Florida, US, but now I'm Tohru's, Hatori told me to come here because I was too close to Akito. I know about the curse, Hatori told Tohru to tell me, and I-yaaah!!"  
  
Aerin stumbled and fell off of a wooden footstool she had been standing on. Yuki, thoroughly surprised and confused, rushed forward and caught her, only to turn into a rat. Aerin sank to the ground.  
  
"I am so sorry! I'm such a klutz! Please forgive me!!" she cried.  
  
"Miss Ansher, please calm down," Yuki said. "It's fine. Accidents happen sometimes, and I'm not going to just stand there while you fall."  
  
Aerin blushed in embarrassment. "I'll be going to school with you all tomorrow. I already have my uniform, it arrived earlier today before I left Sohma House."  
  
Yuki looked up at her. "That's perfect. I'll enjoy having you in my class. If you need anything, just ask me. I'm on student council."  
  
"Yuki." Aerin picked him up so that they were eye level, "I.um.the rat is.erm.my favorite animal in the Zodiac story. I.I feel sorry for it."  
  
Yuki looked surprised yet again, if a rat could. "You feel sorry for the rat, not the cat? May I ask why?"  
  
Aerin looked embarrassed. "Well, you see-"  
  
POOF  
  
Aerin shrieked and covered her eyes. A couple seconds later, Yuki said, "It's all right. You can open your eyes now."  
  
She opened up, and saw that Yuki was offering a hand to help her up. She blushed and took it. Yuki pulled her up, and brought her in close, so their faces were inches apart. He stared into her eyes; her very surprised eyes.  
  
"Why do you feel sorry for the rat?" he asked gently.  
  
Aerin stared at him, then closed her eyes, shaking her head. "No! I can't! It's too hard! I'm probably wrong, and-and I don't want to make you think I'm a fool! It doesn't even make sense, and I've already made you transform! I'm sorry-I'm sorry I ever said it! I'm so-"  
  
Yuki shook her by the arms, and leaned in so that they were close again. "Miss Ansher, please! I won't think you're a fool, and there's no need to be sorry. I'm sorry I've frightened you. But I want to know."  
  
Aerin stared into his eyes again.  
  
"Aerin! Dinner's ready! We can't hold off for Yuki any longer!" rang Shigure's voice.  
  
"He's here," called Aerin. "I-I'll tell you later," she told Yuki.  
  
He smiled at her, and she lost her nervousness and smiled back. (Aerin's note: What? Were you expecting something to happen there? ^.-)  
  
They walked inside. The table was set and Kyo and Shigure were already sitting down. Aerin, Tohru, and Yuki joined them.  
  
"Yuki," said Tohru, "where have you been? I've been so worried!"  
  
"Just around town," Yuki said. "I met miss Ansher outside."  
  
"Oh," Tohru said, "that's why you came in together."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* A/N: If you haven't seen episode 24 -26 (I think) yet, there are spoilers ahead, so it's up to you as to whether or not you want to read this!! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Tohru," said Shigure seriously, "did you tell Aerin about Kyo's original form?"  
  
Kyo looked as if he was using every ounce of energy he had to not kill Shigure. Tohru glanced at Yuki, and noticed his head was bent down; he looked sad. Aerin noticed the same thing.  
  
"No, I-I thought I'd ask Kyo first." Tohru replied.  
  
"Well, you might as well tell her now, no point in keeping it secret," Kyo said in an I-don't-really-care voice.  
  
"Well," Tohru said nervously, "how do I explain this?"  
  
"*fluff* it all! We'll just show her!" Kyo cried, stomping outside. Tohru looked sad, but after everyone got up and followed him out, she did too.  
  
"Er. Close your eyes for this part," Kyo said as he took off his bracelet. Tohru buried her face into Shigure's arm as he placed a hand on her back.  
  
"You can look now," said Yuki, who had removed his hand from Aerin's eyes. She opened. She closed.  
  
"Oh." Aerin looked up at Yuki. He looked miserable.  
  
Tohru, meanwhile, was staring up at Kyo, at that boy that had haunted her dreams ever since that night a few months ago. But suddenly, she relaxed. She let go of Shigure's arm, which was now probably quite red, and slowly approached the boy.  
  
"Kyo," she said softly. He grunted.  
  
"Would you change into a cat if I-"  
  
"You don't seriously want to hug me like this?" he barked.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"I-I don't know," she said, looking surprised. "Nobody's ever tried."  
  
"Well," said Tohru, "There's a first time for everything."  
  
Kyo swung his head up, shocked. Yuki looked up, and a faint trace of a smile was seen on his face. But upon seeing Kyo, he knelt to the ground, bowing his head. Aerin looked down at him in pity, and held her hand just above his back. Yuki sat up again, realizing her hand was there. They stared at each other. Shigure grabbed Tohru's arm.  
  
"Tohru, are you sure?" he asked.  
  
She nodded, and approached Kyo. He stood up tall, to that he towered over her, and looked extremely scary.  
  
"Tohru." he said, "Look at me. I'm a monster."  
  
"Kyo," said Tohru, a tear falling from her face, "you are not a monster. I know that. You, the real you, is anything but a monster. I just have to see through this form, and know that it is you."  
  
Kyo looked down and closed his eyes. He crouched down again. Suddenly he opened his eyes. Tohru's arms were around him, and her head was placed against his chest. Looking up, he noticed Shigure was smiling. Carefully, he placed his arms on Tohru. She smiled. He started to change back into his human form then, and he didn't want her to feel that.  
  
"Sorry," he said as he grabbed her and practically threw her to Yuki, who kept her from falling with one hand and covered Aerin's eyes with the other. Tohru watched Kyo turn back to human. His shirt was ripped. He looked at her.  
  
"I-I'm going to take a bath now," Tohru said. Kyo sighed.  
  
"Aerin, come," said Shigure, "I'll give you a tour of the house."  
  
"Okay," she said. 'I've hardly known these people for twelve hours and already all of this!'  
  
*~*  
  
Tohru ran down the stairs after she got in her pajamas. Shigure had just finished giving Aerin the tour.  
  
"You cantour the bathroom yourself no! Feel free to have a bath," said Tohru.  
  
"Unless, of course, you want me to come with you," said Shigure.  
  
"No, I think I'll be fine," said Aerin. (A/N: She's an airhead too, if you haven't noticed.)  
  
"Oh, Aerin," said Tohru, preparing to go into the kitchen.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You speak very good Japanese. You haven't messed up once. You are very fluent. Have you been speaking for a long time?"  
  
"Oh," said Aerin, blushing. "Thanks. My good friend, who is my neighbor, is Japanese, and I really only hang out with her. She does speak English well, but we like to talk in Japanese, since second grade. But I am also fluent in Spanish, surprisingly. And Russian, Italian, German, French, Elfish, Swedish, Arabic, Latin, Chinese, Portuguese, Greek, Norwegian the list goes on for a long time. Languages stick with me; I don't know why." ^_^;;;  
  
"Did you say Elfish?" asked Shigure.  
  
"Ah.I, uh." said Aerin, looking nervous. "I mean, er.Danish."  
  
"Oh," said Shigure. "Why don't you go have your bath, then?"  
  
She nodded and dashed up the stairs, saying nothing further. Tohru went into the kitchen, and noticed it was spotless. Surprised, she smiled and went outside to where she had seen Yuki.  
  
"Hi Yuki," she said shyly.  
  
"Hello, Miss Honda," he replied without looking at her. She went and sat down next to him. He looked sad.  
  
~*~  
  
I think I should stop there, because if I keep writing, then it's gonna be a long time before I'm gonna come to a good stopping place! ^_^ Anyway, I hope you guys like this! I promise to make the next chapter kinda long, also!! ^^ Please review!!!  
  
~*~ 


	4. Chapter Four

Thanks for all your reviews, minna-san!!!! ^_^ I'm glad you liked the last chapter!!!  
  
Lets get right to the story, okay? ^^ BTW: there's a bit of fluff in this chapter. hehehe.  
  
Oh! And thanks for correcting me!! It turns out "carino" means "care" instead of "love", but let's pretend it means love, okay?? Sorry about that!! But thanks for the correction!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I no own Fruits Basket, so you no sue!  
  
~*~ Shi ~*~  
  
"Hello Miss Honda," he said without looking at her. She went and sat down next to him. He looked sad.  
  
"I. I understand you now, Yuki," she said after a moment.  
  
He looked up. "Do you, Miss Honda?"  
  
"I do," Tohru said. "I know how you really feel guilty about Kyo. how you're eating yourself up inside. and I don't like it. how you blame yourself and wish it was you every time something happens to him, even though it's not your fault-"  
  
"It is my fault," Yuki almost snapped. "Miss Honda, when I was eight, we had to act out the whole Zodiac banquet thing. I should have told him. I never should have listened to Akito!"  
  
"Yuki," Tohru said loudly, putting her hand on his shoulder, "you were a child, you couldn't have known!"  
  
"But I saw the look on his face-he was so excited to hear that he would be at the banquet. But I lied. I still told him the wrong day." Yuki stared into Tohru's eyes. "Did you know, that just one year before that, Kyo and I had been best friends? But then, frogs appeared in my bed, toothpaste in my shoes, honey in my shampoo, and rocks and sticks hit me out of nowhere. Akito told me he had seen Kyo do these things, and when I went to ask him about it, Kyo denied it. I didn't believe him. Soon, we were on the ground, punching, kicking, and biting. When it was over, and Hatori and Shigure had dragged us apart, Kyo asked me, 'Why don't you want to be my friend anymore, Yuki? How come you don't like me anymore?' This surprised me, because I was about to say the same thing. But I just looked at him and said, 'Why are you hitting me with stones?' He glared at me, and we started fighting all the time. Only a year later did I realize that Akito had plotted this. But how could I apologize? We never even spoke anymore. When I was ten, the meaning of the Zodiac story came to me, and I felt horrible. Everything that happened to Kyo made me want to kill myself. In my mind, he was still my friend. But now, it's gone too far. However, since we've met you, we have found something in common once more. We'd do anything for you, Tohru. But still, it's gone too far."  
  
Tohru didn't know what to say. "Yuki. Oh, Yuki! How come you never told me? If I had known! And Yuki, it's never too late! Don't give up!"  
  
Yuki turned his head away. "He's too good for me. I don't deserve him as a friend."  
  
"No, Yuki! No," Tohru cried. "And er.there's one more thing I wanted to ask you."  
  
"What is it, Miss Honda?"  
  
"Er. Well, before I ask, I want you to know that Aerin gave me this whole 'poor rat thing' and it really is true, isn't it?"  
  
"Miss Ansher?"  
  
"Yeah. And she was telling me she thought the rat would eventually be punished, in a way more horrible than any the cat had undergone, but only by himself. Yuki, is it true? Please tell me."  
  
Yuki's eye's had widened. "Miss Honda, there is no other part of the curse that affects me than the part that turns me into a rat, as far as I know. So I don't know if I can really punish myself. I swear to you that I won't kill myself, though."  
  
(A/N: This is foreshadowing something. I'll probably write about it in a follow-up fiction, though.)  
  
Tohru looked thoroughly relieved. "Phew. That takes off a lot of stress." Yuki smiled gently at her.  
  
"You are so kind, Miss Honda." He stopped, suddenly remembering something. "What are you getting Kyo for his birthday?"  
  
"Oh," said Tohru, "I'll give you a hint: he passed his driver's test last week. Now he has his license." She was beaming.  
  
Yuki looked horrified. "Miss Honda, no! I won't let you!"  
  
Tohru smiled. "Too late. I was a thousand short of the one I thought he'd like, when Hatori came in with the same idea. So we split the cost, but I put in a little extra to have 'KYO' put on the license plate."  
  
Yuki stared at her in pure disbelief. "You seriously bought him a. a. car?"  
  
Tohru nodded. "I'm sorry. should I not have? I-I thought he'd like it."  
  
Yuki blinked twice. "You're sorry, Miss Honda? Sorry??"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy, so don't fret. Now it's late, and we need to go to bed."  
  
"Huh?" Tohru shook her head. "No, no! I need to talk with Kyo about this!"  
  
Yuki looked down.  
  
"Look," Tohru said, seeing his expression, "this is for the best! I don't want to see you in pain for the rest of your life!"  
  
Yuki nodded. "Goodnight, Miss Honda. And tell Miss Ansher that you told me her theory, please."  
  
"I will, goodnight, Yuki!" Tohru got up and walked inside. Yuki watched her, until she disappeared around a corner. He heard her tell Aerin how he knew her theory. Then Aerin came into sight. Yuki shuddered. 'She looks so familiar,' he thought. But then he noticed something on her shoulder. Straining to see what it was, Aerin turned and noticed he was staring at her. He beckoned for her to come, and she did. As she sat down next to him, he noticed that the shoulder-thing was a baby rat.  
  
"What's that?" he asked. (Aerin's note: Okay, he knew what it was, but yet he asked anyway. Oh well. I do the same thing! ^_^)  
  
"Um. his name is Dano."  
  
"Hurt?"  
  
Aerin's face turned a bit red. "Yeah. I bought Tohru a kitten-an orange one. She named it Carino."  
  
Yuki smiled.  
  
"And, er. Tohru wanted me to tell you that the er. dance thing on Friday is a formal. You know; nice clothes."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Aerin bit her lip, then said casually, "Who are you going with? Tohru?"  
  
"No. She's going with Kyo. Are you a freshman? Or are you our age?"  
  
"Er. your age."  
  
"Okay, then would you like to accompany me?" Yuki asked, trying not to show how hopeful he felt.  
  
"Of course! Thanks!" she said excitedly. "It'll be my first date!"  
  
"Really? I was afraid that if I had asked you tomorrow, I'd be too late, considering how beautiful you are. All the boys in school will probably be staring at you tomorrow."  
  
At this comment, her face turned bright red. "Thanks."  
  
(A/N: If you have a problem with this, review please. but please don't flame me!! If you have ideas, don't be offended if I don't use them, because I have pretty much everything planned out for a long while. However, I will be influenced by suggestions. just don't hate me??? Please???)  
  
"Okay, Miss Ansher. Good night, I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"Goodnight," said Aerin. She walked to the door, then turned her head sideways, her hair draping as she smiled at him. Yuki stared in awe (pervertish, I know, but still. ). She then opened the door and disappeared inside the house.  
  
'That is so familiar! Where have I seen her before?' Yuki asked himself.  
  
*~*  
  
Shigure stopped Aerin as she walked inside.  
  
"May we talk?" he asked.  
  
"Uh. Sure," said Aerin, sitting down in the seat he pointed to.  
  
"Okay, so when I was younger, I mean ten you know, I stubbed my toe, then tripped over a shoe and fell on my bed, rolled over, and fell off."  
  
"Er." Aerin was blank. "What does this have to do with anything.?"  
  
"Well, it just happened 30 seconds ago. Yes, I'm fine," he said, seeing her troubled face. "But what do you think about that? Is it coincidence? Or is it just this thing I have?"  
  
"Um." Aerin began, still trying to figure out why he had said this in the first place. Then she beamed. "Yes! This proves another one of my theories! Fate repeats itself!"  
  
Now Shigure was confused. "Er." ((Aerin's note: Jeez, they get confused easily, huh?)  
  
"You see?" said Aerin excitedly. "Sometimes it isn't exact, but some things are just meant to be. Not all things, I think, but some things happen for a reason. Then they happen again, sometimes for a different reason than the first. For example, a boy might randomly spill coke on a girl in a train station. He apologizes, then the girl leaves. But then, let's say ten years later, they meet again, and he spills coke on her again. Then they become friends, eventually fall in love, and get married, because it was meant to be! Get it?"  
  
Shigure blinked twice. "WONDERFUL!" he exclaimed, jumping up out of his seta. "And if I'm correct, you have a formal dance this Friday. Are you and Tohru going?"  
  
Aerin nodded. "Tohru with Kyo, Yuki with me."  
  
Shigure cocked his eyebrows. "Lovely! Kyo's birthday is Saturday. You can share a gift with Tohru; hers is quite large."  
  
Aerin nodded. "Okay."  
  
"Now off to bed my dear! Sleep tight!" Shigure said in his singsong voice.  
  
Aerin went upstairs, but turned around when she heard a constant banging. She ran back down the stairs. Shigure was banging pots together in a marching band form, marching around the room, singing.  
  
"HOW I LONG TO BE AN AMERICAN, WHERE AT LEAST I KNOW I'M FREE!"  
  
"Er. Shigure?" Aerin asked nervously.  
  
"AND I WON'T FORGET THE ONES WHO DIED, WHO GAVE THAT RIGHT TO. uh. thee?" he said, wondering what word should be put there instead of 'me'. He's not American, you know.  
  
Aerin shook her head with a smile as she walked back upstairs.  
  
~*~  
  
Tohru climbed up onto the roof. "Kyo?"  
  
He was staring at the moon. "Hi, Tohru."  
  
She went over and sat next to him. "Yuki told me that you two used to be best friends."  
  
Kyo moved his eyes to fix on her, but didn't move. "Yeah."  
  
Tohru looked at him. "You never found out?"  
  
Kyo leaned on one arm. "Found out what?"  
  
"Akito did the pranks, and told Yuki it was you. He didn't find out until a year later, but he thought by then you'd hate him. So he never told. But it's eating him up, Kyo. He feels so bad because of your original form, and whenever anything bad happens to you, he blames himself.because he's the rat, he thinks he made you this way."  
  
Kyo almost fainted and rolled off the roof. ". Um. Yuki told you this?"  
  
"Yeah. it was Aerin's theory. Will you forgive him, Kyo? Will you be friends? Please?" she asked, looking at him with extremely hopeful eyes.  
  
Kyo looked into her eyes as he sat up. He gently moved some hair that had drifted over her face, and placed his hand on her shoulder. (A/N: Airhead moment! Coming up! Watch for it!) Tohru lowered her eyes, and when she looked up again, Kyo's face was a lot closer to hers.  
  
"For you," he said. "I'll talk to him. for you."  
  
"Oh, thank you so much, Kyo! Oh you're so great to me! I will never forget this, Kyo! You're so wonderful-"  
  
'This is it, the perfect moment,' thought Kyo.  
  
"-You're such a great friend!" Tohru continued.  
  
(A/N: Airhead moment! Ouch! Slap in the face! Burned!!!)  
  
But as Kyo prepared to jump off the roof, Tohru suddenly smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him. Kyo was so surprised that he nearly fell off the roof for the second time that night.  
  
Tohru had her head down and her cheeks were red. She looked really embarrassed. Kyo smiled. He lifted up her chin with his hand and kissed her. (A/N: I feel like a perv writing this!!!) Yeah, yeah, it's one of those long-lasting kisses (A/N: gonna puke, gonna puke!) I was thinking maybe some music from Dragonheart would work here.  
  
Tohru smiled nervously. "Sorry."  
  
Kyo slapped his hand to his forehead. "For what?!"  
  
"This." She slapped him hard in the face.  
  
Just kidding.  
  
"Well, I guess I kind of. forced you into that," she said sadly.  
  
"Are you nuts? I did that because I wanted to. I did that because I. I like you." 'Why the heck did I say that?!' Kyo thought to himself.  
  
Tohru smiled. "Goodnight Kyo. I-I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"'Night."  
  
~*~  
  
Yuki looked up as Kyo landed inches away from him.  
  
"What do you want?" asked Yuki.  
  
"Look, don't get me started rat-er, I mean, Yuki," said Kyo in an aggravated tone. "You know why I'm here. Here's a hint; I just talked to Tohru."  
  
"Oh," Yuki turned away. "That."  
  
Silence hailed for the next few minutes as Yuki and Kyo tried not to look at each other. Finally, Kyo broke the nervous moment.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" he muttered.  
  
Yuki sighed. "You never would have forgiven me."  
  
Kyo stared at the ground. In fact, they were both staring at the ground.  
  
"Yeah, I would've," Kyo said.  
  
"How do you know that?" Yuki replied dryly.  
  
"I know," Kyo said extremely quietly, "because I'm forgiving you now."  
  
Yuki looked up at his cousin with an un-believing expression on his face. "What?"  
  
"I'm serious," Kyo said. "You heard me."  
  
"Uh, Yuki, I can. I can-er. Well. you know. Let you go to the. dance with. with Tohru. Since you're on student council and need to go with someone." Kyo said this after a moment's silence. They were extremely hard to say.  
  
"No, I'm going with Miss Ansher. Miss Honda and I. We're just friends."  
  
Kyo sighed a sigh of relief, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "So are Tohru and me. Just. just friends."  
  
"Don't lie," said Yuki matter-of-factly. "You do know that I know what went on up on the roof, right?"  
  
Kyo blushed. "Er. um. er."  
  
"Don't worry," Yuki said, walking inside the house. "I'll act like I don't know."  
  
Kyo opened his mouth like he was going to yell at him, but then he remembered that the bottom reason that he always yelled at Yuki for-the reason that had started it all, wasn't there. He closed his mouth and followed Yuki inside.  
  
~*~  
  
Kinda a slow chapter. Sorry, minna-san. The next chapter is gonna be better!! I promise!!! ^_^  
  
R&R please!!! Arigatou Gozaimasu!! 


	5. Chapter Five

Hola, minna-san!!! ^_^ I'm glad you people liked the last chapter!!!!! Thanks for the reviews!!!! Without further ado, let's get to the next chapter!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I no own Fruits Basket, so you no sue! Also, I no own "This Is The Night" sung by Clay Aiken, so you no sue! ^.^ No sue! Nope!  
  
~*~Go~*~  
  
Yuki lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. But to Yuki, all he saw was Aerin, repeatedly swishing her hair and staring back at him. (A/N: No! Not a perverted moment!!! I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  
  
'Where have I seen her before? Where?' he wondered. He closed his eyes tight, trying to remember. 'A baseball.' He opened his eyes. 'A baseball? What?' He closed his eyes again. Yes, he saw it: a baseball coming straight for his head.  
  
~*~  
  
Little Yuki (A/N: from now on just Yuki) reached up and caught the baseball. Pulling his baseball cap down so his eyes were barely visible, he threw the ball back to Kyo. (A/N: from now on just Kyo.) Kyo caught it.  
  
"Nice catch," Yuki called.  
  
"Thanks!" Kyo said as he threw the ball back. Yuki caught it again, and threw it back. It soared over Kyo's head, and Kyo ran off to try and catch it. Yuki looked around the park. A little way behind him was a jungle gym. A girl with long blonde hair and green eyes was chasing a girl with long brown hair and blue eyes. (A/N: guess who they are? ^.-)  
  
"Let's stop, Tohru. Look, there's a swing set!" said the blonde girl.  
  
"Okay, Aerin," said Tohru.  
  
Yuki stared at them. Well, he stared at Aerin. Suddenly, he felt something hit the side of his head. What did he care? He continued to stare when a hand waved in front of his face.  
  
"Yuki! Earth to Yuki! Is anyone there?" Kyo said.  
  
"Kyo, it's an angel," Yuki said, not moving his eyes.  
  
Kyo followed his Yuki's gaze. "Er.Yuki? Sure she's pretty, but come on! The ball hit you in the head!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really, really."  
  
Kyo looked at Yuki.  
  
"Fine, we'll go over and talk to them," he said reluctantly.  
  
Yuki smiled, and the two ran off towards the girls.  
  
"Hi," said Yuki to Tohru and Aerin.  
  
"Hello," they said.  
  
"I'm-" Yuki began.  
  
"Yuki Sohma. And he's Kyo," said Aerin. "You're cousins, but best friends."  
  
Yuki and Kyo stared at each other.  
  
"And I'm Tohru," said Tohru, "and this is Aerin."  
  
Yuki blinked. "Uh."  
  
"Let's play hide and seek! I'll be it!" said Tohru. "To one-hundred!" She started counting. Kyo ran off one way, Yuki stood behind a tree. He watched as Aerin slipped into a very nearby alley. He smiled, but then noticed a kid and his gang follow her into it. Yuki frowned and ran towards the alley.  
  
Aerin had no sooner sat down behind a dumpster, before she was yanked back into a standing position. A boy wearing black was looking at her.  
  
"Hi, Miss America," he said cockily. "I hear you're rich. Do ya got any money on ya?"  
  
Aerin backed up into a wall. The boy grabbed her hair.  
  
"I really want this pocketknife, you see," he growled. "And I need money to get it."  
  
"I-I don't have any," Aerin replied. The boy pushed her down.  
  
"I have an old pocketknife," he said, taking it out.  
  
"Leave her alone, Souichi," Yuki said.  
  
"Sohma, can't you see I'm busy?"  
  
"Get away, she didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Yuki, don't make me hurt you," Souichi said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Guess you're going to have to," said Yuki.  
  
"Oh! Oh! Me! I want to help!" said Kyo, running up beside Yuki.  
  
"Go find that other girl. She'll never find us here. She might get lost in the park," Yuki said.  
  
"Aww, you always get the fun," Kyo said, retreating.  
  
Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, blah, blah, blah, blah, fight, fight, fight. Blah. Blah, blah, blah. Guess who won? I'll give you a hint; Souichi and his gang ran out of the alleyway with bloody noses.  
  
"Thanks," said Aerin, taking the hand Yuki offered. She reached up to his cheek, where he had been cut. Suddenly, there was no more cut. Yuki was speechless.  
  
"I have to go," she said, and walked away. But just before she turned the corner, she swung her hair and head around and smiled.  
  
~*~  
  
(A/N: I know, I know. I'm about one conversation away from the dance. I hope I'm not boring you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me!)  
  
Yuki gasped as he opened his eyes. Could it be? But there was no time to think anymore, for down the hall came a scream.  
  
"Kyo!"  
  
"Yeah? What? Tohru, I'm coming!" he heard Kyo say.  
  
"Tohru? What's wrong?" came Aerin's voice.  
  
Yuki ran out of his bedroom, to find that Kyo had just opened the door to Tohru's.  
  
"Where is he? Where? Where's Kyo?!" Tohru cried frantically. She ran into the hallway, saw Yuki, and screamed. She ran down the stairs, where Shigure grabbed her, preventing her from going any further.  
  
"Tohru, I'm here," Kyo said, grabbing her arm and turning her around.  
  
"B-but." she stammered.  
  
"A bad dream," Kyo said. "That's all. Breathe."  
  
She nodded. "Wh-where's Yuki?"  
  
"Here, Miss Honda," Yuki said from the top of the stairs.  
  
Tohru stared at him, then smiled.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Let's go back to bed," said Aerin, grabbing Tohru's wrist and taking her upstairs again.  
  
~*~  
  
Tohru's eyelids opened slowly. She glanced at the calendar. Friday. The dance.  
  
"Oh, shoot! The dance!" she said, getting up and throwing down the bedsheets. "I didn't buy a dress! Oh no! What'm I gonna do?!"  
  
"Oh yeah," said Aerin, her head emerging from under a mound of blankets. "I forgot to as well! Oh no!"  
  
They raced down the stairs in their uniforms.  
  
"Shigure," wailed Aerin, "Dresses! We forgot to buy dresses!"  
  
Shigure smiled. "Not to worry, girls."  
  
Both girls stopped running around. "Huh?"  
  
"I told Ayame about the dance, and he designed two wonderful dresses for you. There are two more for the er.you know, tomorrow. Those are identical. These are a bit different."  
  
He pulled out two beautiful, long dresses. One was a pale light blue, the other a pale light purple. The only difference, other than the color, was that the blue one's sleeves were on the shoulders, and the purple's was on the upper arm. Both came with a white pearl necklace.  
  
"Thank you soooooo much!!" said Tohru, taking the blue one that Shigure held out to her.  
  
"Yes, thank you!" Aerin said, taking the purple. "Let's go change, Tohru."  
  
"But I thought the dance wasn't until tonight.?" said Shigure.  
  
"It isn't, but we have to wear our outfits to school for some reason or another," said Tohru. The two raced up the stairs.  
  
"THANK YOU!" they shouted. Then heard Aerin ask Tohru, "Who's Ayame?"  
  
~*~  
  
patted down a piece of hair that kept popping up. It popped up again. He put it down. It popped up. He frowned, and put it down again. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Kyo patted it down once again, and turned away from the mirror.  
  
"Your hair isn't behaving, is it?" Yuki said from the doorway. "It's called gel."  
  
Kyo frowned. "I'm doing my best!"  
  
"What are you planning on wearing?" Yuki asked, staring at Kyo's teal jacket and khaki pants. Kyo did a 'ta-da' posture, inferring that he was going to wear what he had on currently.  
  
"I hope you're joking," said Yuki.  
  
"Well, what else should I wear?" Kyo said hotly. Yuki dug through Kyo's closet, and pulled forth a suit, with a grin. Downstairs, Shigure sipped his coffee.  
  
"I AM NOT WEARING THAT!"  
  
Shigure fell off his chair and spilled coffee on himself.  
  
"Oh yes you are."  
  
"NO I'M NOT!"  
  
"Don't you want your date to look good?" Yuki said with a devilish grin.  
  
"I hate you!" Kyo said, taking the suit, shoving Yuki out of his room, and slamming the door.  
  
"No you don't," said Yuki.  
  
"So what?!" Kyo yelled. Yuki smiled. This was going to be an interesting day.  
  
~*~  
  
"Shigure, where's the-*fluff*!!" Kyo said. Yuki looked up, and the boy's eyes bulged. Aerin and Tohru had just entered the room.  
  
"Oh, morning girls. You like the dresses?" Shigure asked coolly. "I had Ayame make them. Aren't they gorgeous?" he added, seeing Kyo and Yuki's horrified faces.  
  
"A-Ayame?" Yuki asked.  
  
"*He* made these?" Kyo asked. Shigure nodded.  
  
"Why Kyo, you look handsome," said Tohru. "Yuki told me he got you a tux. Yuki, you look more fancy than usual.  
  
Both boys turned a nice shade of pink.  
  
"Well you four better get to school. Oh, and Momiji's here-he wanted to walk with you. Oh, looks like he brought Haru."  
  
"Oh my gosh," said Kyo, standing up, "he looks *male*."  
  
It was true. Momiji looked like the episode 13 image, except in a tux.  
  
"Oh Tohru, you look pretty. Let me hold your hand," he ran forward and tucked her arm in his. Immediately, Kyo grabbed Momiji's hair and flung him away.  
  
"Get away from her, you runt!" he yelled.  
  
"Kyo, I really don't mind him-" Tohru began.  
  
"Well I do!" Kyo yelled.  
  
"Uh, we really should be going," Haru said.  
  
"Wait! We haven't put our make-up on yet!" Tohru said. Aerin gave her a confused look, then suddenly remembered something.  
  
"Oh, right! Make-up! That's what you put on your face!" she said. Tohru nodded, and Kyo wondered what kind of girl wouldn't know what make-up was.  
  
~*~  
  
Kyo twiddled his thumbs. Yuki, across the table, silently watched him.  
  
"What the *fluff* is taking them so long?" Kyo asked.  
  
"You know girls, they always take forever trying to make themselves more beautiful than they already are," Yuki said, leaning back.  
  
"Yeah, but the two girls we're talking about are - no offense - complete airheads."  
  
The boys stared at eachother, wondering whether or not to laugh. Then they both laughed. Tohru entered the room and smiled. Aerin was right behind her.  
  
"We're ready," said Aerin. Yuki and Kyo looked up.  
  
"If possible," said Yuki, "you two look even more beautiful than before." (Aerin's note: EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Go Yuki!!!!! ^____^)  
  
Two faces turned red, and two girls said "Thank you."  
  
"So, what are we going to do at the dance, anyway?" Kyo asked.  
  
"Well," said Yuki, "there's supposed to be food, games for pairs, contests, and music, of course."  
  
Kyo smiled devilishly. "Contests?" Yuki nodded.  
  
"Okay, let's go," said Yuki, motioning for Tohru and Aerin.  
  
~*~  
  
"Well, it looks like nobody is going to be late," said Yuki, glancing around the large gymnasium. Suddenly, Momiji appeared with a dark, short- haired, small girl at his side.  
  
"This is Akane, everyone. Akane, this is my cousin Yuki, my cousin Kyo, my friend Aerin, and my other friend Tohru," Momiji said, pointing each person out as he said their name. Everyone responded with a "Hi."  
  
"well, I'll go find Haru! Bye!" said Momiji, grabbing Akane's arm and dragging her away.  
  
"That was interesting," said Aerin. Everyone nodded in unison. (A/N: Okay, okay... how about a dance, people? Or... heh... *evil grin* how about we have some fun first, eh? ^.-)  
  
"Egg pass!" yelled the principle, much to everyone's surprise. "Grab your date and get over here! Pass the egg from your neck to your partner's! Step right up!" (A/N: MWAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm going to have fun with this... hehe... yeah, they probably don't do these 'activities' at dances, but bear with me, 'kay??? It'll be fun!!!!!!)  
  
Yuki and Kyo smirked at eachother. Kyo grabbed Tohru and Yuki grabbed the arm of Kyo's shirt, and dragged them through the crowd, Aerin following behind.  
  
"Okay! We have five couples!" said the principle, indicating the five pairs. "No one else? Then put on the bags!"  
  
Everyone was suddenly enclosed in a plastic suit, along with a cap that went over their hair, made of garbage bags. The ground was already covered in plastic.  
  
"If you drop or break the egg, another will be provided!"  
  
Eggs were placed in the five girls' necks, and Tohru turned to look at Kyo. He didn't seem to mind that everyone was watching the contestants. Aerin looked at Yuki. He seemed really bothered by the large crowd.  
  
"It'll be fine. You'll see! We'll have fun!" said Aerin, smiling. He nodded.  
  
"On your marks! Get set! Go!"  
  
Kyo leaned down and tried to grab the egg in Tohru's neck with his. He almost had it... score. Tohru raced around to his other side and easily took the egg. 'How does she do that?' Kyo wondered as he went to her other side and almost dropped the egg.  
  
Glancing over at Yuki, he noticed that he and Aerin were one pass ahead. Tohru grabbed the egg. Kyo swung around, and, copying her motions, easily grabbed it. She smiled and got it easily again. Two more passes. He grabbed it, and then... yes. Tohru had it.  
  
"Looks like Tohru Honda and Kyo Sohma have won! After a trip start by Kyo, they passed Aerin Ansher and Yuki Sohma! perhaps because Yuki broke the egg!"  
  
Kyo laughed as he saw Yuki removing the egg-covered plastic. Everyone else took their's off as well. The girls from Yuki's fan club were hovering a ways away, glaring at Aerin and passing words such as, "How dare she make Prince Yuki break that egg! It's all her fault!" and "Why is *she* with him?!", along with the remark aimed at the Principle: "It wasn't Prince Yuki's fault that the egg broke! It was that she-devil!"  
  
The Principle gave Tohru and Kyo a small egg trophy.  
  
"Good job, you two," said Aerin, congratulating them. Yuki nodded.  
  
"Thanks!" said Tohru, and Kyo nodded.  
  
"Come on," said Aerin, "I heard that there's a sack race outside."  
  
~*~  
  
Kyo, Tohru, Yuki and Aerin lined up along with six others, their bottom halves in potato sacks. Kyo was staring at Yuki, desperately trying not to shout an "I'll beat you" comment.  
  
Yuki noticed this and said, "Just because we're not mortal enemies anymore doesn't mean we have to lose our competetive streak."  
  
"Go!"  
  
Everyone started hopping around the bright track. Kyo laughed crazily as he caught up with Yuki. "I'm gonna beat you, rat-er... Yuki!!!"  
  
Yuki and Kyo hopped as fast as they could, but...  
  
"You're kidding me," panted Kyo as tohru and Aerin hopped past them, side by side. "This is crazy!"  
  
Yuki's jaw dropped as Tohru and Aerin crossed the finish line, hop in hop. He and Kyo tied for second.  
  
"Aerin and Tohru! The winners!" the guy handed them a small trophy of a potato each.  
  
"Whew," said Tohru. "I'm tired. Let's go back inside."  
  
"Yeah," said Aerin.  
  
Yuki and Kyo fainted on the spot.  
  
~*~  
  
"Mmmmm," said tohru. "This is really good lemonade!"  
  
"Yup!" said Aerin. "Cheers!" They clanked their glasses together and sipped.  
  
(A/N: All right, I'll end my fun of torturing any more people... *sighs* I was having lots of fun, too!!!!!)  
  
The slow music started up. Being airheads, Aerin and Tohru didn't notice, and were deep in conversation. Well, they didn't notice until...  
  
/When the world wasn't upside-down I could take all the time I had But I'm not gonna wait When a moment can vanish so fast 'Cause every kiss is a kiss You can never get back/  
  
"Er... Tohru," Kyo said, clearing his throat.  
  
"Yes, Kyo?" He extended a hand. "Kyo? What's wrong?"  
  
Kyo slapped his hand to his forehead. "Dance."  
  
"Yes, Kyo, we're at the dance-"  
  
"Do you want to dance?" He said loudly.  
  
"Oh! Sure!" She took his hand. He took her to the dance floor.  
  
"Please spare me the trouble," said Yuki, offering a hand to Aerin. She nodded, smiled, and took it.  
  
Nearby fangirls squealed in frustration, turning down any boys that asked them to dance. One of them even said, "Me? Dance with you? Go away! I'm trying to look my best for Prince Yuki!!"  
  
Poor girls. (Aerin's note: :P HA!!!!)  
  
/Lift me up In your arms If you told me that is what Heaven is, Well you'd be right I've been waiting forever for this This is the night/  
  
/When the answer to all my dreams Is as close as a touch away, Why am I here holdin' back What I'm tryin' to say?/  
  
Kyo was desperately trying not to look into Tohru's eyes.  
  
"Kyo... what's wrong?" asked Tohru innocently.  
  
"Er..." he sighed. "Tohru... were you mad at me because of the... er... you know..." {he's talking about the kiss}  
  
Tohru looked surprised. "Of course not! Why would you think that?"  
  
"Well, you haven't talked to me a lot again, and you're always with Aerin and sometimes Yuki in your room. I swear... if it's that cat... I'll-I'll squash it if it's going to replace me!"  
  
"Kyo! Don't hurt Carino! Nobody can replace you! You are you, and that you is someone I adore. After tomorrow, everything will be normal again! I promise!"  
  
/Lift me up In your arms If you told me that is what Heaven is, Well, you'd be right Hold me close To your heart I would go with you To the ends of the earth And we'll fly I've been waitin' forever for this, This is the night/  
  
/This is the night where we capture forever And all of tomorrows begin After tonight We will never be lonely again/  
  
Kyo was stuck a few sentences back. He looked into her eyes.  
  
"You adore me?"  
  
Tohru fell into a deep blush. "Well, yeah."  
  
"What about Yuki?" Kyo asked hurriedly.  
  
"Of course I adore him too," began Tohru. Kyo sighed. "But not in the same way."  
  
Kyo looked up. If Yuki had not been dancing with Aerin ten feet away, he would have kissed her again right then and there.  
  
"Well, I adore you too, Tohru," Kyo said. Tohru looked at him and smiled.  
  
/Lift me up In your arms If you told me that is what Heaven is, Well, you'd be right Hold me close To your heart I would go with you To the ends of the earth And we'll fly I've been waitin' forever for this, This is the night/  
  
~*~  
  
Well, I think this chapter's long enough... next chapter's gonna be the last one, I think... ^_^ Thanks for your reviews, minna-san! Oh, and the song was something I (AerinM) added, so yeah. I don't think that it relates much to the story, but I LOVE that song!! And Clay Aiken is the BEST person to sing it!!! ^______^ Did anyone else even sing it? I dunno...  
  
Sorry this was so late!! Aerin-chan's school started up a few weeks ago, and as a result she hasn't had time to type this!!! Gomen!!!!!!!!! But good news to those of you who really like this story and wanna find out more about the Aerin in the story, as well as get more story!! Drifter- chan is in the process of writing a sequel to this!! ^.^ I don't remember what it was called, and in fact, Drifter-chan is gonna change her screen name as well! I don't know what she wants it changed to, though... ^^;  
  
Bai, minna-san!! Ja ne!!! I'll try to post the last chapter soon!!! 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter 6: Happy Birthday

A/N: Hey guys. Been like over a year since I updated… hehe… please read and review! Oh, and I am also known as Kalaibii on fanfiction. There is where my Harry Potter fic is. Next sequel I will put the continued fic on Kalaibii. Thanks!

Bear with me. I'm dialoguing on purpose.

"Eeks!"

"Watch it!"

"Quietly, Shigure!"

"No! Don't step on the-"

"AAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Alright, alright, already!"

"Momiji, grab the mop!"

"Do we have a mop?"

"Great heavens!"

"Tohru, do you have that dress I made for you? What about you, Aerin?"

"Shut up. Now."

"But Yuki, I made it especially for her!"

"I don't care. If it's above three inches above her knees, she's not wearing it. You hear?"

"Yuuuuukiiiiii…"

"No."

"I got the mop!"

"Thanks, now just-"

"Give it back! NOW, Haru! Give it back!"

"Awwww… sad that your fluffy tiger's been taken away? Really, Hiro. Grow up."

"Now, don't fight, guys… uh…"

"Miss Honda, would you like me to expel the majority of the family?"

"Er… no thanks, Yuki… I think we're fine."

"Yuki, can you grab me that bucket?"

"Of course, Aerin."

"Yuki! You were supposed to be helping me make the whipped cream!"

"Be patient, will you?"

"Oh, I see how it is. Because _Aerin _wants it, you drop everything and-"

"DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? SHUT UP!"

Everyone froze and looked at Yuki. Momiji, who had been the receiver of the blast, merely chuckled. Yuki had never looked angrier. He didn't even realize that he was squeezing Aerin's wrist into oblivion. She didn't notice either though, she was busy tsking at the mess on the floor.

"Uh… Yuki?" Tohru asked slowly. "Aerin and I can finish up in the kitchen. Why don't the rest of you split up and decorate the house?"

"Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!" Aerin agreed, nodding way more times than was necessary.

She and Tohru looked at eachother in relief when everyone was gone. What a day, what a day this was going to be.

A/N: I know it was short, but hope you liked it! I'll update loads faster this time, promise! Please review!


End file.
